


Christmas Lights

by QuietBreeze



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Langst, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, POV Keith (Voltron), Sad themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21988450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietBreeze/pseuds/QuietBreeze
Summary: It's the time of year when everyone is supposed to be happy, but Keith knows that Lance is hurting, and he won't let him suffer alone.--My contribution to Klancemas 2019. Cancer theme warning.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Christmas Lights

Keith knew something was wrong as soon as he realised Lance was the only one in the room not smiling. Usually he would be the most infectious of the group, always cracking the jokes, flashing his brilliant smile, and lifting people’s spirits despite themselves.

But now, on Christmas Day of all days, something was different about the look in his eyes. He was sitting beside Keith on the couch, putting the gloves Pidge had given him to one side and pointedly avoiding his gaze. Pidge and Hunk sat cross-legged on the floor in front of them, distracted by the cracker they were pulling, and didn’t notice as Lance got to his feet and left the room.

“Keith, do you want the comb?” asked Hunk as he held the tiny plastic thing in his hand and stared at it. “Because I _really_ don't."

“Uh, maybe. Just one second,” Keith said quickly, before he got up and followed Lance out of the room.

When he found him in the kitchen, he was leaning against the counter, staring intently at his phone. The room was dim with only a few candles and Christmas lights, and Lance’s face was alight with the glow of the phone screen. He was biting his nails, hiding his mouth with the curve of his fingers. Keith knew him well enough to realise this was his anxious expression. 

“You okay?” Keith asked as he walked further into the room.

Lance looked up in surprise, as if he’d been worried about being caught. Then he pursed his lips, shaking his head as he turned his phone off.

“Yeah, fine,” he said, the cheeriness in his voice sounding forced.

“No, you’re not.”

Lance rolled his eyes and looked away as Keith approached, slamming the phone on the counter. When he was beside Lance, Keith snaked a hand around his waist, forcing him to look at him.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Lance sighed heavily, leaning into the embrace but keeping his head bowed. “Rachel text me.”

“Oh.” Keith’s heart sank. He knew what that meant. “How are things at home?”

“My mum’s worse. That’s how things are.”

Keith didn’t know how to answer that. He’d never been a natural at comforting people, but during his last couple of years with Lance, he liked to think he was better than he used to be.

“What happened?” he asked, choosing his words carefully.

Lance sighed, his warm breath tingling Keith’s collarbone. “The treatment isn’t working, so she needs something stronger. Chemo, Rachel said.”

The word was a punch to Keith’s gut, so he couldn’t imagine how this was affecting Lance.

“I’m really sorry,” he said to him, pressing his other hand to Lance’s back so he could bring him into a hug.

Lance seemed to melt into him, putting his arms around Keith’s neck and hiding his face in his shoulder. Keith didn’t know what else he could say, so he just held him there, cradling the back of his head and holding his waist with his other hand. He could feel Lance’s body shudder as he let out a breath, sniffed into Keith’s shoulder as he restrained a sob. He was trembling so much Keith was worried he might burst.

“We don’t have to carry on if you don’t want to,” he mumbled into Lance’s ear after a few seconds.

“What?”

“I mean tonight. We can cut it short if you want.”

Lance suddenly pulled away and stared at Keith, aghast. “Why would I want that? It’s the holidays.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Keith assured him, placing a hand on Lance’s cheek and stroking his thumb there. “Things are hard for you right now and you don’t have to feel forced to enjoy something when you know you can’t.”

Lance just kept shaking his head. “No, we can’t cut things short. I just… I just didn’t want to be a downer. I wasn’t going to bring it up.”

Keith could barely believe what he was hearing. He could tell how much this was affecting Lance. He hadn’t been himself for days, ever since he’d heard the news about his mum’s illness a month previously. He’d had the option to go home for Christmas, but he’d only been able to squeeze in a brief visit before coming back to Keith. He’d wanted to take his mind off things and go ahead with the reunion party they’d planned.

But now Keith could see how much he’d been internalizing everything, and that just wasn’t like Lance.

“You’re not being a downer,” Keith said, grabbing Lance’s hands from his sides and knitting their fingers. “You’re allowed to talk about it. You know that, right?”

Lance sighed and squeezed Keith’s fingers. “I know. But I can’t just _come out_ with it, and when anyone asks about it, I just… I _freeze up_.”

Keith nodded. That was one thing he could relate to, at least. “No-one judges you for that, Lance. We’re here for you, and we understand.”

“I should have been there. I should have been with my family. My mum probably hates me for not being home.”

The words came tumbling out of Lance like a tidal wave, and Keith could see the tears glistening in his eyes as he spoke. He pulled him closer and tilting his chin up with a finger.

“Don’t talk like that. Your mum’s got the rest of the family around her right now, and you being there wouldn’t make her any better or worse. She knows you’re there for her, Lance – not being home doesn’t change that.”

Lance inhaled a shaky breath, seeming to use all his willpower to hold back tears. “I know,” he said quietly. “It’s just… it’s so hard.”

Keith pulled him into another hug and kept him there, arms a tight protective cage around him. “I know, Lance,” he whispered.

He heard the muffled sounds of Lance crying into his chest, and he allowed him to let everything out, pressing a kiss of comfort into his temple.

Keith stood there for a few minutes as Lance cried softly, stroking his back, feeling the roughness of the knitted jumper under his palm. When he felt the moment was right, he said again, “You’re not doing anything wrong by saying you’re not okay.”

Lance sniffed and stepped back at last, staying within Keith’s arms. His cheeks were damp and pink. “I guess I just wasn’t brave enough until now.”

“Even if you’re not feeling brave, you can still tell me.”

Keith finally earned a smile from Lance as he rested his forehead against his. The younger boy wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, swallowing his final tears.

“Anyway, you still want my gift?” he eventually asked. “I really want to see your face when you open it.”

“That just makes me nervous.”

Lance chuckled again, still sniffing. “You’re going to love it, trust me. Don’t I know you best?”

It made Keith happy to see the mischievous look in his eyes again – so much so that he had to pull him in and kiss him gently. His lips felt rough and damp against his, but it didn’t bother him.

“Seriously though,” Keith mumbled into Lance’s neck as he kissed him there, “what the hell did you get me?”

Lance just snickered and shook his head. “Open it and find out.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be out on Christmas Day but I was busy with family and food and alcohol to be honest!
> 
> Anyway, I had an urge to write this not only to get some Klance out of my system, but because the specific theme is based on something very real and very difficult. 
> 
> I currently have two family members with cancer, which is hard enough as it is, but when this time of year comes around, we're pressured to enjoy ourselves no matter what, and I've been finding it even harder to enjoy myself with what's going on. 
> 
> I hope this ficlet sheds some light on the fact that we can enjoy Christmas, but we also must accept that life can throw terrible things at us, and Christmas can't cure that. I hope you all have people around you who love you and are there for you in some way, just as Keith is there for our poor baby Lance. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the fic, and Happy Christmas. Sorry for the sad theme!


End file.
